Such is Love
by ShadowDragoon32
Summary: Small changes create an entirely different outcome in one character's life. "The Ravenclaw Death Eater" prompt from the Reviews Lounge, Too.


Prompt: Write a story where someone who is attending Hogwarts or has attended Hogwarts and was sorted into Ravenclaw becomes a Death Eater (preferably of their own free will). You have a few options:

Option 1: Choose a canon character who was sorted into Ravenclaw in canon. The wiki should have a helpful list of canon Ravenclaws if you'd rather use one of the less obvious choices.

Option 2: Choose a canon character who was sorted into a different house in canon (or who never actually attended Hogwarts in canon) but make them a Ravenclaw in your fic. If you do this, please provide some explanation as to how and why they are in Ravenclaw rather than wherever they were in canon.

Option 3: Choose a character from a different fandom (Avengers, Doctor Who, Super Smash Brothers, Lord of the Rings, Pokemon...literally whatever you want so long as you can make it make sense) who you think would make a good Ravenclaw Death Eater and write them into the Harry Potter universe as a current or former student at Hogwarts. If you choose this option, feel free to have your crossover character bring along friends (or enemies) from their own universe and write them into the Harry Potter universe as well (eg: Tony is a Ravenclaw who chooses to join the Death Eaters despite the protests and disappointment of his best friends, Steve of Gryffindor and Pepper of Hufflepuff).

Option 4: Create an original character to be your Ravenclaw Death Eater.

I chose Option 2, obviously.

* * *

He had pale blonde hair and pale grey eyes.

Eleven year old Pansy Parkinson felt her heart flutter.

"I'll just die if I'm sorted into any House that isn't Slytherin." Malfoy lay sprawled across his train seat, fiddling with his wand. Pansy nodded, enraptured by his soft spoken drawl.

"I hope I get sorted into Slytherin too," she said. Malfoy eyed her with thinly veiled distaste.

* * *

Pansy had wanted to read some of her books on the train ride up. However, Malfoy snorted when he saw her pull out _A History of Magic_. Thinking fast, Pansy made a joke about how stupid the title was. Malfoy's lip curled and he looked away.

Pansy stuck the book back in her bag.

* * *

"You're an interesting one," said the Sorting Hat, a low murmur in Pansy's ear. "With the potential for many paths."

For some reason this gave Pansy pause, and she stopped staring at Draco as he took his seat in the Slytherin table. Briefly her mind flickered to her unopened_ A History of Magic_ book.

"How about… RAVENCLAW!"

In an instant, Pansy's life shattered and reformed.

* * *

Pansy ignored the other girls in her dorm as they giggled and talked. She found them boring. They were nothing compared to Draco and the others in Slytherin.

_How could this happen? _she thought despairingly. Still, it could be worse. At least she hadn't been sorted into either Gryffindor or Hufflepuff. Sitting on her bed, Pansy pulled out _A History of Magic_.

"Hey, uh, Pansy?" Someone called, coming into the room.

"What?" She glared at the intruder, annoyed.

"There's a boy outside the dorm. Slytherin. He wants to talk to you." Pansy was irked by the distaste in the other girl's voice as she said Slytherin. Then the sentence registered.

Pansy put down her book and was gone in a flash.

"Father thinks Ravenclaw is the next best house, you know. I wouldn't worry too much about it." Malfoy watched with lidded eyes as Pansy did his homework for him.

"I know, I thought the same thing. I still wish I could've been sorted into Slytherin with _you_, Draco," Pansy simpered. Malfoy shrugged and laid on his back.

"Yeah, yeah. Are you almost finished? I want to meet up with Crabbe and Goyle."

* * *

Years passed.

Pansy did well enough in class. She was above average, even.

Perhaps she could've been more, though, if she'd spent as much time studying and finishing her homework as she did hanging out with Malfoy. Pansy distanced herself from the other Ravenclaw students, spending most of her time with Slytherins. She grew to despise Harry Potter and his rag tag gang of blood traitors and Mudbloods almost as much as Malfoy did. She especially resented Hermione Granger, a Mudblood that dared to be intelligent and clever.

* * *

Draco looked like a god.

The pale moonlight reflected off his platinum blonde hair, and his alabaster skin seemed to almost glow. Pansy stared at him, drinking in his beauty and reveling in the fact that it was hers.

_Mine, _she thought, unable to contain her delight.

In that moment Pansy Parkinson knew with absolute certainty one thing:

She was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with Draco Malfoy.

* * *

Something was wrong with Malfoy. He was hiding something from her.

_If only I was Slytherin, _she thought sadly. _Maybe then he would tell._

Pansy loathed herself in that moment.

* * *

"I know you know something!"

"Do you?"

Pansy had always tried to like Professor Snape, because she knew Malfoy liked him. But something in his coal black eyes unsettled her.

"Please, tell me what's wrong with Draco. Tell me what I can do to help him."

"I have no idea what you're going on about, child. I suggest you hurry to bed before your curfew starts."

"No! I know something is wrong, but Draco won't tell me. Please, Professor." Pansy was on the verge of tears. "I… I love him. I'd do anything for him." Snape stared at her, impassive.

"And here I thought Ravenclaw was renowned for having students with brains." A brief flicker of empathy flashed in his gaze. "Think carefully, child. If I help you, you could very well regret your decision for the rest of your life."

"Never," Pansy said instantly. "I would die for him."

Snape turned away.

* * *

When Malfoy and Snape escaped Hogwarts, Pansy escaped with them.

"What are you _doing_?" Malfoy asked Pansy.

"I need to be with you, Draco. I don't care that you're a Death Eater. I love you," she said by way of explanation. Malfoy's expression was incredulous.

"Let her come with. She's made her choice," Snape said curtly.

* * *

"Another child? What use is she?" So many people, cloaked and hidden in the shadows. Pansy trembled with fear but held her head high. For Malfoy's sake.

"I-I want to be a Death Eater. Like Draco," she said shrilly. The group rippled and shivered.

"She is from Ravenclaw, correct?" Voldemort's voice was high pitched and cold, sending a shiver down Pansy's back.

"Yes, my lord," Snape said. Draco stood next to his father, paler than usual. Voldemort eyed her and smiled a chilling smile.

"Interesting." And then he began to laugh, long and hard.

* * *

Pansy returned to Hogwarts soon after.

_It doesn't matter, _she thought. _Because now I'm even closer to Draco. Even if it's only in spirit. I don't care. I love him. I love him. I love him._

It made her feel better. Nonetheless, Pansy always made sure her robes were covering her forearms.

* * *

Pansy Parkinson was a very stupid Ravenclaw.

She was shallow and inept and bitter and vindictive. She had no friends. Only Draco Malfoy. And even then…

The worst of it all was that she could have been so much more.

Such is love.

* * *

Author's Note: If this feels disjointed and rushed, that's because it probably is lol. I've never written for the HP fandom and it's been a while since I read the books, so let me know if I made any silly errors haha. I just really wanted to write about destructive love and the prompt at RLT provided the perfect outlet. So, yeah. Let me know what you think!

~Dragoon


End file.
